KTM's RC8 superbike contender

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March 20, 2008 World Superbike racing is about to get a serious shake-up in 2009, as new heavyweight contenders step into the ring from BMW, Aprilia and KTM. MV Agusta is ramping up its superbike racing in domestic competitions worldwide, and you'd have to suspect Triumph is cooking a three-cylinder litrebike up as well, after the runaway success of the 675 triple. In WSBK 2008, it seems the Ducati 1098S, the fastest Ducati ever with Australia's Troy Bayliss on board, is already standing out the bike to beat - and that's exactly the way KTM have approached the development of their 1148cc v-twin RC8 superbike, which weighs in, on both the scales and the dyno, as an absolute equal to the slippery Ducati.